A few weeks ago, Sassypants came in from Boston to stay with us for a few days. She's a razor-sharp journalist with great style and an awesome sense of humor. Needless to say, we love her bunches. And since Sassypants is in her early 20s and working creative-type jobs, she's also trying to keep her expenditures on the small side. Although we're not exactly heirs to the McDuck fortune, Jeff and I figured it'd be nice to be benevolent older sibling-types and subsidize a chunk of her food and drink.

In the days before she arrived, I was in crunch-mode at the dayjob, and even crunchier-mode at the nightjob. By the time Sassypants' Bolt Bus alit upon Penn Station, I was totally unprepared in the food department. Crap.

We made the most of some inexpensive neighborhood eateries and McCarren Park farmers market and our local cheap-o supermarket, but by the time Sunday night rolled around, I was wiped and fairly out of ideas. Hoping inspiration would strike, I took a look through our pantry, where I spotted two cans of Goya chickpeas. A promising beginning. Then, in the fridge, I found a hidden stash of my homemade tomato sauce, a few medium sized zucchini, some garlic, and a tube of pre-made sundried tomato polenta I'd gotten at the store weeks before. It was languishing behind some goat gouda.*

In a "duh" moment, this recipe came together. It looks fancier than it is, tastes awesome, and gets high marks for the low-fat/high flavor front. And isn't it nice when you can look like a culinary rockstar in front of the in-laws? I say, hells-to-the-yes.

1) Shred zucchini on the largest setting of a box grater. Toss with a heaping teaspoon of salt, place in a colander set over a bowl, and allow to drain, 15-30 minutes. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

2) Coat a non-stick pan with 1⁄4 teaspoon of the oil with several sprays of cooking spray, and heat over a medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until aromatic and starting to browned, about 30 seconds. Add the zucchini, stir, and cook through, about 6-7 minutes.

3) Add chickpeas, and cook through, 1-2 minutes. Add sauce and saute until heated through, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a separate bowl, and season with salt and pepper.

4) Wipe out the pan, and heat the remaining oil over a medium heat. In several batches, add the polenta rounds, and sauté until just browned (roughly three minutes per side). In the center of each plate, arrange four polenta rounds so that their sides are touching (or in a "diamond" pattern). Top with a light coating of gouda. Mound the zucchini mixture on top, and sprinkle with additional gouda.

Whole foods has a fantastic goat gouda, but it is a bit on the expensive side... Trader Joes also has a decent goat gouda, as far as the lactose question goes I have no idea, but its so good it might be worth trying anyway...

And this recipe looks awesome, I think I am going to try it tonight...

I, too, am lactose-ally challenged, but I've had great luck with the Arina brand so far. (Of course, the intolerance it affects everyone differently, so goat it up at your own risk and discretion.) I've found that Arina is the poor man's version of Midnight Moon*, and it's comparatively inexpensive at my local supermarket.

*Another goat gouda that has led me to exclaim such things as "HOLY CATS! GOAT GOUDA IS MAKING MAGIC IN MY MOUTH!" Or something like that.